By Lindsey Ziliak
Pharos-Tribune
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For Sheila Jennings, Tuesday’s mobile food pantry was like a regular trip to the grocery store — minus the cost.
Area Five Agency on Aging and Community Services partnered with the Lafayette-based Food Finders Food Bank to provide 10,000 pounds of free food to qualifying area residents on Tuesday afternoon. The Food Finders mobile pantry was parked outside Cross-Wind United Methodist Church from 11 a.m. to just after 1 p.m. when the food ran out.
Elaine Zeider, Area Five’s family services manager in Logansport, said families lined up as early 3 a.m. to ensure they’d get a share of the food. When the pantry opened, 80 families were already waiting.
Jennings said she didn’t wait quite as long.
“It went really fast,” she said. “I waited around an hour. It was about like a normal shopping trip for me.”
Jennings was one of 268 people and families served. Mary Lou Towe, who both received groceries and volunteered at the event, said everyone who showed up before 1 p.m. received food. No one was turned away.
There are income requirements to be eligible for the groceries, Zeider said, but participants aren’t asked to provide proof of income.
An individual would qualify for food with an annual income of $17,868. A family of four would qualify with an annual income of $36,384.
The amount of food a family receives is based on its size. Each family received various foods, including meats, frozen fish and fresh produce. Area Five’s Beth Wilson said the one item not available Tuesday was milk.
Jennings said she and her husband received enough food to feed them and their six children for three or four days.
“Our kids eat a lot,” she said with a laugh.
All joking aside, Jennings said she and her family were extremely grateful for the pantry’s assistance.
“It helps our family tremendously, especially at the end of the month when we’re waiting on paychecks to come in,” said Sheila’s husband, Ron Jennings. “And the food stamps don’t always last.”
Ron was so grateful for the food that he volunteered to help with the event alongside Towe.
Towe called the mobile food pantry a great thing for the community.
“There are a lot of people in Logansport who don’t have food,” she said. “And you can only go to the Food Bank once a month.”
Tuesday was the second time for Towe to receive food but her first time volunteering. She plans to volunteer again when the Food Finders truck returns to Logansport Sept. 17.
• Lindsey Ziliak is a staff writer for the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at 574-732-5148 or lindsey.ziliak@pharostribune.com.
